1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to USB (universal serial bus) cable and more particularly to a USB cable adapter with an improved cable winding mechanism.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional USB cable adapter is shown in FIG. 1. Its drawback is that no cable winding mechanism is provided. Hence, a user has to wind cable 1a manually for storage. The cable winding process is a time consuming task if length of the cable 1a is relatively long.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a USB cable adapter having an improved cable winding mechanism in order to overcome the above drawback of the prior art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a USB cable adapter comprising a first USB connector; a second connector; and a cable winding mechanism interconnected the first and the second connectors, the mechanism comprising a case comprising a substantially circular first case element including a spool extended inward from a center thereof and a longitudinal gap cut through the spool, an a substantially circular second case element matingly secured to the first case element, the second case element including a straight groove extended outwardly from a center thereof; a crown shaped rotating mechanism comprising a channel formed at a center thereof, the channel being tightly put on the spool, two opposite openings formed at a periphery thereof, an internal curved trough, a cavity disposed adjacent the curved trough, and an arcuate trough disposed adjacent the cavity and being in communication with one end of the curved trough; a roller moveably disposed at a junction of the straight groove and the curved trough in a non-operating position; a flat cable having one end coupled to the first USB connector and the other end coupled to the second connector; and a worm spring having an inner end formed as a straight piece inserted into the gap for securing onto the spool, the worm spring being received in the troughs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cable winding device interconnected first and second end connectors of a USB cable adapter, comprising a case comprising a substantially circular first case element including a spool extended inward from a center thereof and a longitudinal gap cut through the spool, an a substantially circular second case element matingly secured to the first case element, the second case element including a straight groove extended outwardly from a center thereof; a crown shaped rotating mechanism comprising a channel formed at a center thereof, the channel being tightly put on the spool, two opposite openings formed at a periphery thereof, an internal curved trough, a cavity disposed adjacent the curved trough, and an arcuate trough disposed adjacent the cavity and being in communication with one end of the curved trough; a roller moveably disposed at a junction of the straight groove and the curved trough in a non-operating position; a flat cable having one end coupled to the first USB connector and the other end coupled to the second connector; and a worm spring having an inner end formed as a straight piece inserted into the gap for securing onto the spool, the worm spring being received in the troughs, wherein a pulling of the cable causes the rotating mechanism to rotate counterclockwise and cause the roller to move toward the arcuate trough with the worm spring being deformed while the roller is sliding; a release of the pulling causes the roller to move in the cavity for locking; and a slight pulling of the cable from the locked position clears the roller from the cavity to move in the curved trough with stored energy of the compressed worm spring released so as to rotate the rotating mechanism clockwise for winding the cable.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings.